“’Tis not a lie if you pay. Lenore and Viktor are quite chummy these days, and I’m certain he can twist her arm. Heaven knows she probably has an obscene amount of money to waste. Use her name if you’re pressed, and we’ll make it work.”
A smile touched my lips. “I like the way you think, Mr. Poe.”
He bowed.
Blue gathered up the papers. “Wyatt, give me your phone.”
He frowned. “Not even a thanks?”
“Your friend did all the work.”
He rolled all the way back to his desk. “See if I dial the dead for you again.”
Chapter 23
As tempting as it was to call everyone right away, we had to take into consideration the late hour. I spoke to a few rogue Shifters, and Blue dialed three or four packs before putting off the rest until morning. The ones we offered compensation to bought the lie. It sounded like a move the higher authority would make to save face. Ren seemed a little skeptical about sending me a picture of his former packmate, but he still gave me what I needed.
Wyatt set up a temporary email address for those who didn’t have photos saved on their phones. Blue and I camped out in his office all day, eagerly waiting for callbacks and emails. It was important that we were thorough, made no assumptions, and heard from everyone.
“Delivery girl!” Gem sang, skating into the room with white paper sacks in her hands. She did a twirl in front of my beanbag chair and handed one bag to me before skating over to the sofa and giving Blue the other.
“What about the drinks?” I asked.
She pulled her long duster to the side before plopping down on the sofa. “Niko’s on his way up with the drinks. Since you’re hard at work, we thought you might want everything while it’s hot.”
Blue unwrapped her bacon burger. “Thanks. Where’s yours?”
“Alas, they didn’t have the salad I wanted, so I’m making one later.”
Blue held out her fries. “You can have these. I think two burgers will do it for me.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She happily accepted the large container.
Blue finished chewing a mouthful of burger. “Are you sure Viktor doesn’t mind us eating in here?”
“He’s got his hands full with all the kids,” she said, her cheeks flushed. Some of the black liner around her violet eyes had smudged in the corners. “Shep and Wyatt are busy unloading food from the van. I think they’re going to sit in the dining room, because Claude was looking for extra chairs earlier.”
I pinched off a piece of cheese and ate it. “I bet Kira’s having a heart attack over the junk food.”
We all quietly snickered. Junk food made the stress melt away. The fries were deliciously salty, and the burger had the right amount of cheese and secret sauce. All I needed was a vanilla shake.
“Coyote Burger is the bomb,” Blue said, staring at her half-eaten burger. “It’s too bad they don’t have more locations.”
Niko walked in with a handsome grin on his face. “Who’s thirsty?”
I raised my hand and then felt instantly stupid. “Everyone.”
Niko approached with the cardboard carrier that held four drinks. I peered at the transparent lids and claimed the vanilla shake.
He approached the couch and sat between Gem and Blue.
“Thanks, amigo.” Blue’s cheeks hollowed as she sucked down the chocolate.
“Strawberry for me,” Gem said. “Unless you want it.”
Niko set the tray beside him. “I’m not picky. Whatever’s left is fine.”
Gem set her drink on the floor. “This is fun. We never get to eat dinner in here together.”
Niko finished sipping his drink. “How are your calls coming along?”
“Almost done,” Blue said, wiping sauce off her cheek. “Just a few people we can’t get ahold of. We’re also waiting on photographs. I think there are two left who haven’t sent us anything.”
I set down my burger and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “I think they’re afraid of getting in trouble. King’s ghost confirmed a few, so we didn’t have to call those people. I still haven’t been able to reach Harper.”
Blue licked her thumb. “Harper was the woman you and Christian met at the bar?”
I nodded. “I guess she’s busy with work. Either that or she’s done talking about her dead mate. We’re probably picking at old wounds.”
While digging into my fries, I watched Wyatt saunter into the room with his drink and a fast-food bag. He sat down at his desk, switched on the computer, and opened up his desk drawer.
“So disgusting,” Gem said as he cracked open a can of cheese dip.
“Another email,” Wyatt announced.
I flew up from my seat and stared over his shoulder. “From who?”
“Some guy named Andy.” Wyatt opened up the attachment and wolf whistled when a beautiful redhead smiled back at him. It looked like a private picture of Alisa, taken on the bed with her head resting on a pillow and a loving smile on her face.
“Well?” Blue asked.
I sighed and returned to my beanbag chair. “Yep.”
Blue checked off her name from a list. “We’re almost done.”
Wyatt tore his bag into a flat square, poured two large fries in a pile, and then drizzled the cheese dip over them. If it weren’t for his Gravewalker DNA, he would have needed a quadruple bypass. “Viktor’s in a foul mood today,” he said, stating what we’d already noticed. “Anyone know what’s up?”
Blue coughed and reached for her drink. “He was supposed to go on a date with Miss Parrish tonight. But now he’s preoccupied with finding those kids a permanent home.”
Wyatt used a fork to shovel in some of the fries. “What about the packs you’ve visited?”
“Some are decent,” she said. “But none were up to snuff. Nobody had a house big enough to accommodate that many kids, and a few of the Packmasters were too strict. Unless they’re new, packs don’t keep adding and adding. They establish a number of packmates, and when someone leaves, they fill the opening.”
Wyatt spun his chair around, cheese on his chin. “Viktor was on the phone with Finn when we came in just now.”
I furrowed my brow. “I thought Viktor wasn’t involving anyone.”
“Finn works for the higher authority,” Wyatt explained.
“Why wouldn’t he just go to Lenore?”
Blue finished sipping her drink. “Finnegan’s a Shifter. I only met him once. He’s young but smart. At the end of the day, Shifters trust each other more, and that’s probably why Viktor called him.”
“Is he a representative or a Regulator?” I asked.
“Neither. I think he’s positioning himself for a seat, but those don’t come into play very often. You have to know someone or pay your dues. He has a lot of access to files. Don’t worry—we can trust him. He’s related to some HALO members, so he knows all about secrecy. You’re still pretty new, so you don’t know everyone yet. I bet Viktor was asking if he knew anyone who could take the kids.”
Niko removed a green throw pillow from behind his back and tossed it aside. “This home was built for children, but it’s no longer a place for them. Though, I admit, I enjoy the sound of laughter in the courtyard. It reminds me how carefree life can be.”